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21st Jul 2017

Watch: LBC’s James O’Brien passionately defends his coverage of Grenfell tragedy

Incredibly passionate

Tony Cuddihy

James O’Brien was responding to a caller who had suggested he’d heard enough about the tragic tower fire, which killed dozens of people.

LBC host James O’Brien is not shy about speaking his mind at the best of times, and when he was challenged by a listener as to why he was still talking about the Grenfell Tower fire he was not about to be silenced.

Dozens of people lost their lives, with many more still unaccounted for, when the tower in London caught fire in the early hours of June 14.

O’Brien has continually railed against the authorities who ignored countless safety warnings at the tower block, and did not take kindly to a suggestion that he move on.

“I want you to know that if your house burns down and your children die grisly deaths in the middle of the night, after you have repeatedly warned the authorities that it’s going to happen, I want you to know that this radio programme will speak for you and about you for as long as is necessary,” he stated.

“I don’t care where you come from, where you live, what social class you live in, or what ethnicity you hail from – if your children burn to death, in a trap, I will speak to you, I will speak about you, and I will speak for you on this programme until I get handed my sandwiches in a roadmap.”

He wasn’t finished there.

“By all means, send me your texts and your tweets saying you think it’s time to move on, or (listener) Alf says he feels he’s been clubbed over the head with it and that’s fine, I’ll take that. But Alf, when your grandchildren burn to death in a house that the neighbours have warned was a deathtrap, I’ll speak up for them as well. Even when you are bored of it and think that the story should have moved along.

“I’ll speak for them, even when you can’t be arsed, mate, alright?”